Saturday, July 31, 2010

Last night I went to a Memorial Tribute arranged by a co-worker and friend whose father passed away unexpectedly a few weeks ago. I have been to my fair share of funerals, "Shiva" sittings, and memorials over the years, but I have never had the honor to experience one like this. It was a true celebration of a life, and an evening filled with much more laughter than tears. There were probably 400 people in attendance, and a heavy presence of both law enforcement professionals and leather clad bikers, two seemingly disparate communities, yet my friend's dad was clearly beloved by both.

A Story Well Told...

One by one, dozens of family, friends, and former co-workers took to the podium to share very personal, emotional, and overwhelmingly funny stories of their experiences with, and love for, my friend's father. To say it was inspirational would be a gross understatement. I felt I was witnessing an incredibly special moment, driven by pure love for someone who clearly had been an incredibly special person. While I never had the chance to meet my friend's dad, hearing the stories and seeing the slideshow of so many captured moments, I could clearly see his spirit and influence in my friend, and even in my friend's young son. Yes, it was sad, but it was also very beautiful and filled with hope.

Influence And Impact

Clearly, my friend's dad touched many lives, and lived his own life to the fullest. Trite as that may sound, from what I witnessed and learned, in this case it really is true. It was wonderful to see how they celebrated him now that he is gone. As I walked to my car after leaving, without hesitation I took out my phone and called my own parents, something I know I don't do often enough. Though I never met him while he was alive, meeting him now, through the stories told, and the shared experience of their telling, my friend's father has indeed impacted my life too.

There's Always Room To Learn

I think I learned many things last night, but the one thing I want to try harder to focus on is to celebrate life now. I want to celebrate my life and all that I have to be grateful for, and I want to celebrate the lives of my children and my family and all the people that I love. I don't want to wait for the memorial.

NEW Podcast! Like the movies? Listen to Wunderkind!

Griffith Stein is a film nerd working as a projectionist at The Studio... He can recite the shooting script for CITIZEN KANE by heart, but he's never had an original thought of his own... until he becomes the next Hollywood wunderkind!

About Me

A gadget geek and early adopter at heart, Jeff Sass is an experienced technology, mobile and entertainment exec. He has co-founded and run mobile commerce and technology companies and he has written and produced for film and television.

Jeff is CMO of .CLUB Domains and co-founder of EntrepreneurWiki and Social Object Factory. He previously served as VP, Chief Evangelist for mobile entertainment company Myxer. A frequent speaker and panelist at mobile, music and digital media events, Jeff has had articles published in AdAge Digital, DMNews, Mobile Marketer, iMedia Connection, Forbes and others. Jeff has served on the MMA's Education and Evangelism Committee and is a founding Board Member of the Mobile Internet Content Coalition (MICC). He is also an instructor for the University of San Francisco's online mobile marketing program.

A recognized blogger and social media enthusiast, Jeff served as a Sony DigiDad and an Intel Advisor. He has been co-editor and writer for Dadomatic.com since 2008 and is a co-host of the Cast of Dads podcast. Jeff's blogs include Sassholes.com, SocialNetworkingRehab.com and WunderkindPodcast.com. For more info than you can ever need about Jeff, please visit www.jeffreysass.com.

Lijit Search

Fellow Sassholes...

Images of Sassholes

This Blog is My Blog...

This time its personal! This blog, I mean. The articles, opinions, views, and corny jokes that appear on this blog are mine and do not reflect the opinions of my employer or anyone else. I hope you find what I have to say thoughtful, inspiring, entertaining, and at the very least not boring. Of course, that will not be the case for everything or everyone here, but if you've scrolled down this far and are actually reading this "disclaimer" then I hope you are among those that have found something of value amidst the musings of this sasshole. If so, please leave me a comment and let me know you care. On the other hand, if you are among the bored and confused, I can't imagine why you are reading this. There are 52 kazillion other ways for you to kill time on the Internet. I suggest you find one.